As part of a 1997 decentralization and regionalization law passed by the legislature 16 new regions of Morocco were created. The region is the current highest administrative division of Morocco. The regions are subdivided into a total of 63 second-order administrative divisions, which are prefectures and provinces.[1] A Moroccan region is governed by a Wali, nominated by the King. The Wali is also governor of the province (or prefecture) where he resides.

Starting 2010, a new governmental program aimed at giving each of the regions of Morocco autonomy, much like the Spanish style, and a greater autonomy to the regions fully coinciding with the Western Sahara. So a governmental organization was formed to tackle this subject; it got the name of Consultative Commission for the Regionalization. The latter published the names of the new regions and their numbers:[4]